


Tales from the Directory

by GoldenBaron



Category: Original Work
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-28
Updated: 2020-04-28
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:13:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 847
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23895142
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GoldenBaron/pseuds/GoldenBaron
Summary: The Directory has many tales to tell, some see how worlds change in the wider multiverse.These are all oneshots of potential story ideas for my own projects that I hope one day to turn into actual books. Please say if you enjoy them and leave any reccomendation in the comments, any helpful comments are appreciated but most of all, have fun!
Kudos: 1





	Tales from the Directory

March 23rd 1806, The great cliffs stand before us, they have spent the last few years mocking us from the other side of the channel, now they stand silent only watching us near them. Men around me shift nervously, there’s no sign of any soldiers on the cliffs or indeed any on the beaches, only a few locals stood watching as the ships slowed before the anchors crashed into the water below and cries went up across the fleet. I leaned down and picked my bag, slinging it over my arms before grabbing my musket and cartridges and making my way over towards the edge of the boat where a rope ladder had been lowered leading to a smaller boat where others were already inside, staring nervously at the beach and cliffs as if waiting to the British red uniforms to appear from above. Gingerly I leant over the boat and swung on the rope ladder as a wind blew through the fleet, immediately we all turned as if expecting a rebuilt British fleet to emerge from the ocean and blast us to bits only to see nothing, not even a fishing boat was in our vicinity. 

The waters were still, the boat barely rocked as we neared the shore, the boat rocked sending one man overboard onto the sand, a laugh went up allowing us to smile for the first time since leaving port some several days earlier. The sand was soft underfoot, looking back we saw the larger ships sailing away, they had to wait for us now. The commander raised the eagle standard high, the banner fluttering in the sea breeze, the first English land had fallen to the Grande Armee, now we had our mission to do.

* * *

We saw the castle before anything else, the towering mastery of over 700 years, they called it impregnable, that Dover could never fall to an army. The battle was already underway when we arrived with the smoke of cannonfire floating across the landscape. The other forces were assaulting the Western heights in attempt to breach the walls and enter the town, we stood to the south the sea to our right and the walls on our left, we began our march in high hopes, any defender on the wall would be distracted dealing with the main assault, then we heard the shouts and the ground began to erupt as the British cannons roared into life firing down at us, we marched on regardless men around me thrown into the air crashing down with the dirt, the smoke making it harder to see our goal and then the cannons went away and screams from in front of us, we moved into formation and waited. Through the smoke we saw them, the defenders of Archcliffe fort spewed out to greet us, they fired wildly many misfired, raw recruits hastily given weapons and minimal training against ourselves, seasoned men fresh from Austrerlitz, the Austrian and Russian armies had failed against us, the British would as well. Calmly we fired into the mob, men falling before us others stopping, turning to run into the town, the fort and any resolve gone from their head as panic and survival instinct swept over them, we heard cries from above and looked to see the Tricolore flying over the walls of the Western heights, cheers went up among us before we continued our march towards the fort before us. The inside was a mess, barrels of alcohol lay strewn around the place, many still open from drinks by the defenders all those who had now run into the town. 

The barracks weren’t much but we tore down all British ensigns and replaced them, a large bonfire in the courtyard burnt brightly from British flags and uniforms. We heard rumours of landings further east, battles on the other side of the castle, Revolution in Ireland and Scotland and even talk of the British royalty fleeing to India or their penal colony. The attack on Canada that winter by French and American forces had taken them by surprise and following the disaster at Waterloo, the British were all but spent. They had mocked our revolution, they had mocked our Emperor and they had mocked our victories in Europe. Their mockery stopped now. Dover was ours, The british forces scattered, running scared, soon we would march and we would seize the prize that evaded us for so long, London shall fall and France shall take her rightful place as lord of Europe. We beamed bright as we stood at the docks, watching the captured British ship HMS Victory dock, the gangplank lowered and he came, stepping onto English soil he breathed deep, we stood to attention and he spoke, The emperor spoke to us all 

“Messieurs, vous avez bien combattu comme vous l'avez toujours fait. Ce n'est qu'un parmi tant d'autres à venir, la France vous salue tous pour avoir retiré la menace anglaise du monde mais surtout, je Napoléon Bonaparte, empereur de France, roi d'Italie, médiateur de la Confédération helvétique et coprince d'Andorre salue vous”

**Author's Note:**

> Translation for that last quote “Gentlemen, You have fought well as you always have. This is but one of many to come, France salutes you all for removing the English menace from the world but most of all, I Napoleon Bonaparte, Emperor of France, King of Italy, Mediator of the Helvetic Confederation and Co-Prince of Andorra salute you”
> 
> This was a preface to a world in which Napoleon won and Europe is under his command, I won't pretend that Napoleonic era history is my strong point (That's ancient and 20th century) but it's always a fun thing to look into. Again if you enjoyed please say so and I'm always happy to take feedback.


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